It seems that the Azov market has finally touched the bottom. Owners are not so keen to fix this week and postpone negotiation process till next week for the sake of reaching better freight figures.
However, according to Rufco shipbrokers, the recovery most probably would not be so fast and it could take a couple of weeks to reach the July levels.
During July 2019 the Azov ports already exported 2.42 mio tons of agri cargoes and the leading port is Rostov with 1.11 mio. The harvested figures for the beginning of August exceed the same period of 2018. This gives some hope for a better market this year.
Freight rates to the Sea of Marmara from Rostov lost $2 and make $20-21 pmt.
Freight rates from Rostov to SE Black Sea ports are also down making $18-19 pmt.
The Black Sea coasters market is mostly stagnating. Rates are keeping more or less on a similar level for several weeks. But the end of August/September traditionally shows an upward trend for this segment.
The Caspian region is also affected by the holidays and the rates have lost couple of dollars due to a decrease in the trade activity.
Freight ex Astrakhan to Iran make $29-30 pmt this week.
Please note that the rates cited in this article are average market rates. We ask our readers to pay attention that this information is not a commercial offer and cannot be an example for comparison in commercial disputes and arbitration.